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Friends Art Lab / Blog / Finger Paint Color Mixing Activity

Finger Paint Color Mixing Activity

By Kristian Klebofski   Published: November 3, 2022    Updated: November 3, 2022

What do you get when you mix red and yellow? Blue and red? Kids delight in this messy, hands-on, exciting finger paint color mixing activity.

A zoomed in image of a child's hands mixing red and blue paint together in this color mixing activity.
Table of Contents:
  1. This color mixing activity is IT
  2. A hands-on color mixing activity feels like magic
  3. Materials
  4. Let’s start mixing colors
  5. What are good color combinations for mixing?
  6. Get a lot of paper ready because this one is a hit
  7. Fantastic color mixing books
  8. Kick it up a notch
  9. FAQ
  10. You’ve GOT to try this color mixing activity!

This color mixing activity is IT

I’ve done color mixing demonstrations with kids at least one million times, and every time I model two colors mixing to make a new color, jaws hit the floor.

It is SUPER cool to watch yellow and red mix become orange!

It is FASCINATING to witness green and blue mix become teal!

A child mixed blue and yellow colored paint and made green.

A hands-on color mixing activity feels like magic

Color mixing is like having a magic trick in your back pocket and it always dazzles the audience.

And then when you tell the kids that they get to mix colors themselves?! Best. Day. Ever.

Other A+ color mixing activities:

  • Color Mixing & Writing Bags – Mother Could
  • Rainbow Color Mix Marble Painting – Kids’ Craft Room
  • Walking Water Science Experiment – Coffee Cups and Crayons
A child has their hands together open making a large bow, one hand is holding yellow paint, the other hand is holding red paint.

Materials

  • Paint – red, yellow, and blue
  • White paper – the thicker the better
  • Black marker

No, really. That’s it!

The child has begun the color mixing activity and has put their hands together with red and yellow paint dripping onto the white piece of paper sitting on the table.

Let’s start mixing colors

  • Invite your child to pick two colors of paint. When I first do this with the kids, I only let them choose from the three primary colors (red, yellow, and blue). Two primary colors mixed together makes a secondary color, so we don’t get muddy colors when they choose two options from the three provided.
  • On the bottom of the child’s paper, write the colors they picked. For example, “yellow + blue.”
  • I include this step because when the kids take their art home, their adults might look at it and just see a green paper. But, when they see the “yellow + blue” note at the bottom, it’s a conversation starter about how the piece was made.
  • Invite your child to cup their hands together and squirt or pour the paint directly into their hands!
  • Mix! Squish! As the kids mix the colors, it will drip onto the paper and the whole process is awesome. Invite them to rub their hands on their paper and mix the colors. As the colors mix, you’ll hear them name the new color they’re making – just like magic.
  • Hang or lay the paper to dry.

To really understand color theory, invite your child to make another piece of art with two different colors! We want them to realize that not all two colors mixed together make the same color. For example, yellow + blue make green, but blue + red doesn’t make green.

Two children's hands are mixed with red, yellow, and orange paint after having rubbed together.

What are good color combinations for mixing?

Technically, there are an infinite amount of colors that can be made. However, we first explore the basics when introducing color mixing to kids.

Very basic color theory looks like this:

Primary Colors: red, yellow, and blue

Secondary Colors: orange, green, and purple

Sometimes looking at the color wheel helps!

A color wheel with letters S and P showing what colors are primary (red, yellow, and blue) and what colors are secondary (orange, green, and purple).

If you mix any two primary colors, you get a secondary color.

Examples:

  • Red (P) + yellow (P) = orange (S)
  • Red (P) + blue (P) = purple (S)
  • Blue (S) + yellow (P) = green (s)

When you look at two primary colors on the color wheel, the color in between them is the color you get when they’re mixed.

So cool, huh?!

A child engaged in the color mixing activity mixing red and blue paint together on a white piece of paper. You can see the paper has the words "blue + red" written on it.

Get a lot of paper ready because this one is a hit

I’m serious. Kids LOVE this activity! There is something special about holding two different colored paints in your hand and then squishing them together to make something new.

We do this activity at the beginning of every school year, but it’s something that we do many times during the year, too.

Covers for three children's books: "Mix It Up" "Little Blue and Little Yellow" and "Mixed."

Fantastic color mixing books

There are so, so many children’s books about color mixing. Here are some of our faves that we reach for over and over again:

  • Mix it Up – This book is all about color mixing, AND it’s interactive! There are parts of the story where the kids are invited to touch the pages to “mix” the colors, adding an extra fun element of interactivity.
  • Mixed: A Colorful Story – This one is a FAVORITE of Miss Michelle’s and it’s easy to see why! Little spots of colors lived separate lives and then decided to mix together one day. Joyful, adorable, and the illustrations are so fun.
  • Little Blue and Little Yellow – Two friends hug each other so tightly that they become a new color! Author/illustrator Leo Lionni created this book, and as a general rule of thumb, his books are classics.
A child's hand is covered in neon green paint and has colorful rice stuck to it as a fun extension to the color mixing activity.

Kick it up a notch

To add EXTRA fun and sensory goodness to this color mixing activity, you can also toss in a tactile material, such as rice, sand, or small beans.

We love adding a bowl of rainbow rice to the table for the kids to dip their hands into and then mix onto their papers. Now, instead of this just looking cool, it also feels cool!

Three kids have their hands open and all of the hands are covered in paint and colored rice.

FAQ

How do you teach kids colors?

With activities like this! The more they hear color words out loud (ex: “This is blue paint”) and have opportunities to interact with colors, the better their understanding of color words will be.

Are there more than primary and secondary colors?

Oh, YES! Think of primary and secondary colors as the first and second layers of colors and know that the layers can go on and on and on…forever.

What grades can I do this with?

All of them. Preschoolers enjoy this, fifth graders enjoy this, eleventh graders enjoy this – there’s no age limit with Science!

You’ve GOT to try this color mixing activity!

Whether this is your first color mixing activity or your 7000th, this delightful “art meets science” activity is always a hoot.

What colors are you going to mix first?

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Kristian

Hi, I’m Kristian!

I love all things early childhood. Having earned a master's degree in education, I love sharing my passion and knowledge both as a classroom preschool teacher and college professor. Friends Art Lab is my heart and I'm excited to share with you! LEARN MORE

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